Grand Rehearsal

Speaking of my buddy Frank last week, Frank gave me some good advice he said to consider taking a few days few days of vacation or sick leave whatever since I was going to be able to take any time off for the holiday except for the holiday: the Fourth of July holiday. Traditionally, I take whatever days follow the holiday and use annual leave for those days it works pretty good like this year I would've taken Thursday and Friday off so forth false on Wednesday. But since I'm transitioning to my new office over Fourth of July weekend I I will not be taking the usual annual and quite frankly I think I did need time. Well I am taking with the Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of this week but when I called the new boss earlier in the week to check out how things were transitioning she was under the impression that I would be here on Friday to meet with the I T person who is only in their offices from eight till 10 AM she really wanted see how I was going to fit into the new setting. She wanted me some especially to bring over my IT equipment, my computer and other paraphernalia I used interface with the system. Now earlier we Pretty much packed my office and my boss one to pack everything into her little convertible and drop it off at my house so I wouldn't have to come in on Friday but Amy want to be there so there I went.

I drove the van and, and this really reinforces how much I hate driving. I was pleased to see I still had my skills intact I made it into the office without injuring myself or anyone else. It was just Frank me which is the usual setting and we did tear down my laptop and support materials and box them up to get ready to transfer over. Claire finally showed up, she had been sick and I was a bit surprised to see make it in today but she didn't she showed up and we loaded up the equipment that anyone over there and Frank and I drove over to the new building. Now when I was there the other day I chose a cubicle across from the boss. This is a good political process so the boss of have a ability here me and keep notes on me as I transition into the setting. But in the meantime then hired two more personnel who Amy wanted next to her which is great because that's what I wanted the long run anyway. So I chose a cubicle far away from everybody else there some one from the other side of the wall for me that she seems okay. I got a good setting much for Windows but still that's the way it goes I'm just glad to be working. The more I see of his crew the more I think I'm like my time there for however long that will be. Become a stuff in the building squared away and I will continue my transition all over next week where I'll become a go through the indoctrination process learned their software to see how my systems will work with theirs. Looks pretty cool.

Frank and I got back to the office and Bonnie had purchased Brandury doughnuts, my care was running out of power quickly so we had a small party of donuts and talk and I went into the office charged up for about half an hour 45 min. Then Bonnie and Frank loaded my packed boxes in the back of the van and I drove away. We are planning on having at least one staff meeting a month where I would need to come back and interface with staff – –wink wink and call it breakfast.

Claire and I talked a little as I was getting ready to leave, really the last real boss employee moment after I drive away it will all be different -this would no longer be my real office of these would no longer be my real workmates. Since I'm technically tethered to this office we really have to put off the final meal until February when I do retire and leave the state for good. Maybe that's why separation today was not so hard maybe my psyche still waiting for the final final next year. Still this was a good rehearsal.

Vials and VIals of Blood

I had called last Friday the only appointment open this week, was yesterday at 1045. We decided I would go to work and Dianne would drive an picked me up and we would together go up to the University to meet with Katya, my provider. We got to the University good time, got checked in and got some premedical work up done. Becky did this work up she is very good and helpful. And again I only needed to find out why are what happen to the phone calls I place a got no returns and no prescription sent to where I had asked. I also wanted to get injectables for by HRT as opposed to the smear I have been using.

So when I got there I was not too concerned when Becky the technician begin to do all the medical stuff that happens at the first of an appointment: temperature, medical history, do you use tobacco? The usual. I always feel the medical technician question period similar to the warm-up comedian or prep band for the major brand. The practitioner finally got to me, shook more hammered than usual, she looked tired and frayed and that she started asking questions would already covered in early appointments and I began to get concerned. Early on in our discussion we found the prescriptions that we needed in the folder and were never sent to our pharmacy. This really sure the concluded my visit but then my dock one to see my butt. This is when things begin to go wrong, it seems my practitioner who is a nurse practitioner (who I used as an M.D.) was being shadowed by the M.D. she practices under and I sort of think this caused a lot of stress of her day. Anyway, she wanted to my butt on to see how it was healing which I thought was healing great as you think was so great. She made a comment that from now on I need to be down every weekend I. E. in bed with my weight off my butt. Then we revisited the need for a manual wheelchair, and a functional cushion which meant another appointment with my physical therapist which all should've been done in taking care of(another ball dropped). There's just too many weird things happening, what I thought was a 15 to 20 min. appointment was morphing into an hour. However, we did get the injectables we did get some counseling and Dianne did get some training on how to inject me with the HRT and I got my first week injection administered. We got some meds adjusted I got really spooked enough said. Needless to say I got the scripts and a whole lot more. I couldn't get out of place fast enough. I have loose ends of course, I have to make an appointment with my physical therapist, Sue and I get a few more things ordered hopefully. Dianne I are going to go to lunch but she had an appointment she had to get to and we ran out of time. I had to drop me off at Hires and had a great lunch, probably well my last since my cholesterol is way high and I have to take dietary steps to bring it down oh yeah – – they took vials and vials of blood and now waiting for the chem work to come back I'm sure will not be good for a quality-of-life issues going down the tubes.

Out of Sight Out of Mind

I have got one of the best medical practitioners I think a person can have – – she's European and she's good she does a great job of insulating me from a medical doctor she practices under. The only drawback, I feel, is that she tends to get super busy because she's in such great demand. That's well and good but drives crazy been trying to get a little medical advice that she just can't return my phone calls. This is been happening all week I am at the end of my first month of male hormone replacement therapy HRT and the stuff cost me about $400 a month which is ridiculous. Dianne has done some research and found we could do injectables much less cost. And I talked my friend Kenneth, who is a paraplegic and has been doing the injectables a says it's great. So I called the practitioner wanted no if 1. Could she give me some counsel on smear versus injectable and 2. Could just go ahead and write the script and prescribed an hour so training for Dianne in the process of using injectable HRT. Not rocket science, it should be straightforward but it hasn't been. So today Friday I finally remembered and called the hospital/rehab unit and set up an appointment to visit with my practitioner and go over these items face-to-face – – I guess it's only thing I can do. Have an appointment for Monday 10:45 AM and I don't know if Dianne could make it but I think she can hopefully we'll have to see. Why the things have to be so hard.

Okay okay I have never explained why I want to do the injectable well I sort of did, but actually I hate the smear. The processes I have Dianne's smear the HR on my shoulder my left shoulder and the process is really bizarre. Dianne has to wear a plastic glove and then be careful that none of the hormones gets on her is a can do weird stuff and even I have to be careful that I don't really get on me anywhere except for the point of contact at the smear hits my body or my shoulder. So the injectables is one-shot a month and that's it. That would mean I would not have to worry about having to wear short all the time when I have the smear on as well as just being scared around the smear all the time I met touch our Diane's gun touch it was just too strange and then again as I said earlier the cost the cost is prohibitive on the smear. I guess the smear is not covered under insurance so I can pay the whole load myself in this pricey. I my bottom line I just as soon not do the HRT at all but I really have seen some positive results of this therapy most significantly the wound closures so for that alone I will continue the therapy if financially feasible or acceptable.

It seems I just have one week left in this office, we begin the process of throwing stuff away taking down pitchers books and other stuff that makes an office and office. I really am sensing now I'm about out of this place is even if I still on payroll and out of this office when you're gone your gone. I wasn't born yesterday there's a reason for the phrase out of sight out of mind have a great weekend!!

Rose's

 

 

Anakah spent the night last night kinda rare this happens in the middle the week but it's summer to make sense having Ani during the week is a little awkward in that I end up going to bed pretty early and I think that frustrates her little bit we did okay last night. I went to bed they stayed up late. Cool.

So this morning, as usual, I'm up and at em ready to go. Before I went to bed Ani had been promised I would wake her before I left for work. I was up, dressed and out the door by six, said goodbye Ani and was gone. I stopped at Starbucks got my copy was still early enough to catch the 625 in the Salt Lake. This is okay but puts me into downtown at just about seven o'clock hour before need to be there. So I decided to the time do a little exploring.

Cool weather blew in overnight it was not chilly, especially after the past couple days and I 90 degree weather, rather quite enjoyable. With coffee in hand to have itself after disembarking the train I felt myself in front of Rose's. Had been the Roses before over lunch did never been there in fact I did know they even were open breakfast but they seem to be, I rolled inside. I do like the inside of Roses, the place has real potential they just haven't reached yet. The closest thing they offer for breakfast our pastries and rolls which can be heated up. Since I was essentially killing time, and already had my coffee, I decided to try the cheese rolls which did look good. A little pricey but would expect downtown Salt Lake? I was also disappointed and that the little place did not offer any Wi-Fi which is pretty shocking. The cheese rolls would've been good if they were just cheese rolls but they have to be trendy started sticking all kinds of herbs into the biscuits way too much Rosemary or some other kind of herb. Now the biscuits could've been saved had they had any kind of gravy to go over the top of particular bits of sausage but no nothing like that. I did ask do they have the capabilities to fry an egg that would've been good all things being equal that no they weren't up to that yet. The waiter, a frail and delicate figure with all kinds of strings tied around his wrist suggested they would some point in time offer a more full breakfast menu – – I can hardly wait.

The biscuits were supposed to be buttered and I'm sure they were I just couldn't sense the butter over the herbs I left one biscuit whole on my plate and washed the other down with my Starbucks coffee and left. Mind you this is not a review just my experience at this restaurant and it does hold great potential. I'm sure I will be going back in the month or two months in the hopes they have fleshed out their kitchen and offer a fine sausage gravy to drown the herb biscuits in.

Published!!

Back in November I posted to this blog that I had submitted a number of pieces of poetry to Desert Wanderings, the literary magazine published by Art Access of Utah the local affiliate of VSA or Very Special Arts. I went on and on about how Are Access publishes this document and if you submit your almost assured publication. And when I first started publishing and Art Access the editor was a close friend of mine which almost assured I publication. But Lori has separated with the organization and have gotten busy and with life and seem to always miss the deadlines for the upcoming publication. But at the end of last year, the submission date is the last of November, I had my writer's notebook out and I remembered and I submitted a number of haiku I have been working on. Actually, I'm trying to put together enough haiku we will publish a small book. Now I suppose a when does haiku but what makes my haiku different and hopefully alluring is that my haiku is focused on public transit. The genre I feel has greatly been ignored: the poetry of disability public transit. I hope that makes sense.

I don't know how much the volume is this year, in past years the prices been about five dollars a copy, a deal. So, if you want to get your hands on the latest edition of the Desert Wanderings before they're sold out, because the magazine is going to go fast. Contact Art Access of Utah at 801-328-0703 operators are standing by.

http://meadowlarksmind.blogspot.com/2011/11/submissionsno.html

It seems I've been out of the office a great deal this week today was no exception. I got back a few hours ago from the annual UILC's annual summer picnic. Picnic is always held at a place called fits Park at 3100 S. 500 E., Salt Lake City. The summer picnic hotdogs, hamburgers, chips, number three red dye punch and watermelon. If you are staff it's one of those mandatory things that you are there and you participate even if it's just speaking to other consumers. So, the summer picnic is a free meal, much as the Halloween party and the Christmas party are all free meals in these events bring out the consumers as no other events seem to do. It's a sure thing. Over the years I've fallen out of attending many of these old events for one reason or another, just another thing in the day to do. And if attendance wasn't mandatory I begin to blow off the event. I sort of promised staff at the 30 year open house last week that I would attend today and the promise made is important so I went.

It was a good day for travel, dry warm southerly breeze and best of all I could pick up the bus I needed halfway down the block on second South second best of all was that the headways for buses on second East is every 15 min. Now this is important right now since I have no faith in my batteries with what soever, the charger I have the office is kinda worthless but, I came in and charged and I made it to duck park without issue or problem. The picnic is a laid-back event nothing serious goes on just people talking in the good picnic stuff we've been doing it so long now I think it's also a place where consumers can look around and see who still live and thankful that made it to one more picnic. Today I got my mandatory hamburger and hot dog, potatoes salad and runny beans potato chips and pickles meant to the far side of the covered picnic area. With me in line of sight it when my old clients/consumers Tommy. Tommy has MS, is having since I've known him just 30+ years and is in the and stage of the disease process now. Tommy is still verbal and fairly alert, looks pretty thrashed but who would after 30 years with MS? Seems like Thomas respiratory system has been negatively impacted with the disease process every time I see them now expect this the last time I see him. But there is that the next function not Mr. wood chipper but he's there. I think, could prepare a lot better for the endgame, fuses a group that I facilitated for a number of years and I rode Tommy pretty hard to be more independent, to better prepare for the endgame did take to heart and sure enough his attendants seem a little spooky and questionable. As I said Tommy's breathing is labored makes it difficult to hear me speaks even more so in and out of doors setting like a picnic. But he was asking me a question today that I really want to hear so I leaned closer and he asked if I'd seen Steve, fellow trees to see Tom's company a lot 20 years ago I thought they knew each other from school and they were both in University. Steve was affiliated with a local low income food gathering program lost track of them over the years. But Tommy is asking had I seen Steve recently and I had seen Steve about a year ago and he left me with the idea he was going look Tom up and I guess it never happened. Of this meeting with a commitment to myself that I was in the fine Steve Johnson given meeting up with Tommy for Tommy passes away. It won't be long you can hold out much longer but then again I've been wrong before.

Popcorn and a Movie

I took off yesterday at 1:30 to head over to UCAT for some repair work on my power chair. I wanted to see if they happen to have any casters which would fit my chair.  The casters in the back of my chair had just about worn themselves down of the nubs and people will begin to worry.  In truth it was a beautiful afternoon and I felt like getting out of the office and I had vacation hours to burn.

So imagine my surprise when I got back to the office morning spoke with Frank.  Frank indicated the boss was taken the staff to movies and popcorn.  There happens to be screening a film about people with significant disabilities called the Untouchables. I watched the trailer this morning and the movie looks hysterical from a disability standpoint.  So, I am sitting here charging the chair, hoping to have enough juice to make the run over to the train station and then over to the movies should be fun either way.  Eat your heart out world.

Ahhh,Perchance To Dream

They say a race of giants were on the earth before the great flood they called these giants Gibborim. I would like to have seen these guys I would like to known just how big these giants were. Be that as it may I still believe giants roam the earth and every once in a while I am fortunate enough to sit beside one in my day-to-day life. One such giant in my life is a guy named Mr. Riggle-- Mr. Riggle, of course has a first name but that's not important at least not to me. Mr. Riggle is a person with a severe disability, college graduate and an employee of a local private nonprofit agency. Salt Lake that provides quasi-legal services for people with disabilities. Mr. Riggle is a policy wonk, this guy eats drinks and sleeps policy on every level. I think he's brilliant the Utah treasure sorry to say I think I am one of the few people who recognizes that he is the treasure he is.

I've known Mr. Riggle for five years now maybe a little longer I first ran into him I think on the train. I think he was kind of drifting at the time, kid gotten his degree and was out bounced around the community trying to find work or better yet trying to find someone who would hire him in a real-life job. I doubt I had anything to do with the the like to think that I did, I did speak to a few folks here and there. I noticed soon after Mr. Riggle begin to show up at some of the state Council and Board meetings that I was attending. For as I tended to show up to these meetings to sample whatever lunch stuffs were available Mr. Riggle jumped in to any and all discussions with gusto, intelligence and the focus to accomplish a goal, his goal. I don't know why from the onset we addressed each other by our surnames Mr. Smith and Mr. Riggle it just seemed right. Mr. Riggle has cerebral palsy which is pretty involved, please is a power chair from ability, pretty fast chair that. I'm pretty sure he has attended care who dresses him give be very difficult, for instance, for Mr. Riggle to put on or take off his own jacket which means he never wears a coat. Whereas I dress my huge white coat once the temperature drops Mr. Riggle never wears a coat are hardly ever. I see that subzero outside my window snow on the ground or snow flying and the lookup and see Mr. Riggle' zip past my window going to meeting in my building. Here we are on many of the same committee still and often ride the same buses are trains to these meetings. Me in my great height jacket and Mr. Riggle at most in the longsleeved shirt. Fortunately, Mr. Riggle is quite fluent speech and often speaks to different and specific pieces of legislation during the legislative season. Like I said the guys brilliant.

Mr. Riggle should be here in Salt Lake city, bouncing around the private nonprofit arena basically working for peanuts. Mr. Riggle should be working out of some senators office or Congressman's office help them develop and define legislation for people with disabilities and the systems that serve people with disabilities or he should be in some hotshot national phyz-diz private nonprofit agency or lobby bring about the same results changing influencing legislation to best serve people with disabilities. He should be getting big gun money for what he does but he doesn't and he probably never well and that sucks. The reason I bring all this up is that you today is on the train and Mr. Riggle boards and we settle indoor you discussion about this and that and some how the ideas of dreams come up and I make statement like “the tragedy of my life is the system robbed me of my ability to dream”. Mr. Riggle looked at me and shook his head and grinned," come on Mr. Smith, that's all I have is the ability to dream". And once again, I am put in my place by a member of the younger legions. I have so much, even my worst days, I can do so much I better get off the Crapper and start dreaming again , that's all we've got is our dreams... Thanks Mr. Riggle I knew that.

 I think they Photoshopped my head--but this was basically me thirty years ago...

I migrated down from Idaho almost 30 years ago to work at the Utah Independent Living center (uilc). I basically enjoyed my time at that I LC but eventually moved on. I was intrigued when last week I was contacted by the Executive Director of the center could called to inform me the center was having a 30 year celebration and asked if I would attend as well of the old staff. The event was timed late in the day and actually I think I can count the time away from the office community integration time. This would give me a chance to leave work a little early, bus over to the center and see old staff and friends. I figured two hours why not?

I was surprised to find the building seemed to be bursting at the seams when I got there. There was old staff and old consumers – – consumers I have not seen in decades consumers I thought were dead,. I was amazed it's interesting to go back to a place where I once worked – were in some cases I often felt like family. When I worked at the center there is really just for us and we were family back to nearly 80s we did just about everything together for a while it was like a cross between Seinfeld and Gray's anatomy. But we'll moved on, or at least I did.

Maurice was there, Maurice or Moe as I called in those days was the director of the facility when I interviewed for the job (which is another story entirely). Moe was one of those folks I thought was dead but he is very much alive. I think I like Moe more than the other staff, I think I understood Moe more than the other staff I appreciated the way he Moe thought, but we got rid of them there is a mini insurrection, I caved and was part of it. But we talked long time yesterday, we talked long time Moe and is relatively new life. I'm I look them up have lunch with some of these days if you live that long they look good so I assume he will live that long. I was amazed at how many of the consumers with serious disabilities, some progressive disabilities are still alive. I really thought that belong dead but there are there Tommy with multiple sclerosis, and others. I was surprised his love these folks have stopped coming to all the other events the center has been having, the Halloween party, the Christmas party the picnic and so forth the all really forth came out for the 30th anniversary. Unbelievable, really wasn't even that big of a food draw: cheese on a stick and cookies and number five red dye punch. So these folks obviously really want to be there which is cool. I mingled, got buttonholed spoke to some people way too long another's not long enough – – made promises to getting together knowing I never well. A couple of them I really do want to do that got some ideas and then their input would be important to the success of these ideas and there is a bit of a timeframe as well, I want to do something with some of these people before they die. So, I did the 30 year reunion--I wasn't a reunion but I'm pretending that was how if I just make it another 10 years for the 40 year reunion!

Computer Ninja

I've covered at great length in previous blog postings about my lack of social ambiance come five o'clock and I'm headed home on the train. I just want to sit in my car and from the train reading my book and being left alone. I think I've done pretty good job training most folk who travel the same train I do going home. I will smile, nod my head, of make appropriate gestures with my hands but always be sure, I hold my tablet so they can tell I'm reading. So I'm not a total social isolate--still, I just want to be left alone.

So I was kind of intrigued I noticed a smallish, younger fellow board the train. Short cropped hair, black rimmed glasses, angry bird T-shirt and a unique way of staring down as he walked down the trains aisle he started talking to all kinds of people not inappropriately necessarily, just way too close in cyberspace and questions that were more direct than is usually socially acceptable. In short he seemed a bit developmentally disabled. There is another patron on the train in a wheelchair dressed in military fatigues little guys begin to ask him questions is how I would fill given wheelchair, what branch the military had even then, the fly jets, and so forth. When the veteran retired of his questions the little guy got up and walked across the island sat down and ask a couple where, who were looking at photographs, book on camera the photograph are used, or the photographs taken, did you know there is a better camera that he could've used until the photograph are pretty much shoot fellow off the seat which is that point left only me at the far end of the train reading my tablet. I took a deep breath as this little guy noticed I was reading from my tablet and he asked "what kind of tablet is that?". I answer that it is I Thrive which totally excites the little fellow. He then launches in to a song and dance about did I like the tablet,am current on all the updates of the software for this tablet, and was everything I needed to end up on the tablet. In the process he actually requested to look at the tablet which I gave over and he expertly begin to go through the system settings and asking if I wanted certain changes made. I said no but at this point in time realized this little fellow had shipped into my ice shield and I begin to ask him questions. Turns out this little guy's is named Nick, the proud owner of Nick's Computer Fix. I asked if he is making any money. Nick said Jesse was. I asked Nick the have an storefront ready work for somebody else and he said no my offices here, wherein he reached around and patted his backpack. "All I need to fix computers is in my backpack". Nick indicated he was 14 years old and he could fix just about any computer plus he could unlock cell phones in their number of other items in the technical electronic field. I was transfixed with this little guy--I'm sure he's high functional spectrum disorder buddies out on the tarmac do it for himself. During the conversation he indicated that he had a Facebook account and I of course looked it up and indeed he is quite a little computer geek of the highest order. There were a number of testimonials to his expertise and gratitude for his ability to fix their problems.

Nick is a charmer, I'm pretty sure he knows he's a charmer but he also seems committed to make his business work. He knows what sells and I think he's worked his angle enough has tuned it well to meet his needs. He charges 20 bucks an hour and he comes to your house Monday through Saturday he's off Sunday's. He carries a cell phone and is there to help. I get the impression that many of his fixes he knows he can do in an hour. I'm sure the lead gets all kinds of tips is the embodiment of the American dream a little slugger out there with a disability making a difference in his own life. I'm a little worried for Nick about his lack of recognizing boundaries and in fact when I did explore his website noticed that he has already been robbed once that he's indicated that he continues on and that's admirable. So, I want to keep my eye on this guy I think his got great potential. He could rise to that of a leader in the disability community but that might be selfish on my part but we'll have to see. Below is a link to his face but Facebook page check Nick out, "like" him spread his name around. Nick could be the next big thing. 

Check his video

Train Ride

Last Thursday, I was ready for work, dressed and ready to go by 6 AM so I figured. At Starbucks grab some coffee and then jump nearly bus into the train station and you jump my day. Morning was perfect, warm breeze, was a clear and above normal temperatures for the afternoon a perfect spring day.

I had just settled in to my usual spot on the train turned on my Tab and was planning to read following to the Planetarium stop. As many great plans are foiled by the small things of this world so that this plan of mine at the next train stop when a mother with a stroller two small children in tow entered the train off the mini—high block ramp. So of course the little family settled down right across the aisle from me. The oldest child is a boy named Jeffrey who seemed pretty well mannered then there is Alexi was totally out of control, five years old for will be on report and district for any attention possible the third child was a babe in arms that I never did get the name of that made no difference. It seemed Alexi's favorite expression was”shut up”screen at the top of her small voice of voice shrill and brittle as glass. Jeffrey tried to stay a good boy as long as he could the but kept getting baited by Alexi… The mother seemed totally removed from the situation get involved only when the Alexi would would get so much out of control that the neighboring transit passengers would begin interfering with her children. The mom, who will call Maria, seemed and a couple enough talk about her life with folks on the train. There was an ancient couple sitting on the other side of the aisle, this couple were senior missionaries for the Mormon church who of course smiled benignly. Now the sister missionary sitting next to the window I think knew what was going on just kept staring out the window as your world washed by but her husband was another question. Whether he truly was a grandfatherly type or felt he was just doing what service missionaries did try to engage Alexi and her mother and conversation and smiles. As I said his wife stayed a little longer she could but the good brother soon had his arms full of both Jeffrey and Alexi and a mother forthcoming with all kinds of information which included she was indeed pregnant now and her husband was deployed by the military. What was interesting, was that the husband should have been home the week before but did not have enough money for the plane trip home so would have to wait to the next month. Now the mother also reported that the husband was a major in the US Armed Forces which means he actually makes a great deal of money all things considered so there's more to the story than we're hearing. Was interesting was the mother, with children in tow, was on her way to drop the kids off at daycare as she was on her first day of employment at Deseret Industries, training facility for low-income earners.

Thing one and Thing 2 were riding to the stop beyond mine and I was so thankful to disembark the train I reached the planetarium. He tried to put the morning-hell out of my mind as long as soon as I could. You cannot believe my chagrin at boarding the train on my homebound trip that might there they were Thing one and Thing two, baby sister pregnant mother luckily the day had worn Alexi down quite a bit, she was near sleep which I took as a perk.

City Creek Take Down

Wednesday, I must admit, is kind of a slow day so I was appreciative when any calls came in on my line. Access Utah network always been one of the "touch points" the Americans with Disabilities Act

(ADA). So naturally over the years and hundred of access calls. But Wednesday's call was one of the best. When I answered the phone there is a pause, there's always a pause, as the caller gets ready to launch into their explanation. The caller was timid to begin with and he asked if this was the A D A to which I replied--this is access Utah, Utah's disability information line and we can answer ADA related questions. So he launched into a bizarre story of the dog, personal the disability and a rent a cops with to much time on their hands.

Briefly stated the individual who called we will call him Dutch has a service dog--you didn't tell me what kind of dog he was but I assumed he was a hairy dog or furry dog, whatever. And he in his dog had gone down to the new Salt Lake City downtown mall, City Creek. Now, I really haven't written much about City Creek but is Salt Lake's new, upscale mall, it's an outside mall two stories, fountains and still parts under construction but is now open to the public. Well, the caller tells me was a rainy morning, and we've had a lot of rainy morning to late here long Wasatch front and he was telling me how his dog had walked through some mud and was was tracking mud all over the clean floors of the City Creek mall. So Dutch, like any self-respecting service animal older would do grabbed racks holding back to the bathroom and washed his positive the sink where else? I mean if I had a service animal in the service animal had muddy feet--and I and I cared--that's what I would do huckem up to the sink and wash his positive everybody else. So let's let this part of the story sit for a bit of the back burner and then we'll talk about the $.24.

So not only is Dutch a conscientious consumer worried about the tracks his service beast leaves in the public space Dutch is also concerned about the fish of the world. And not only of the world but in City and Creek. Now bear in mind that City Creek is actually built on a city creek weird is that is and the Creek, man-made as it is has been channeled the flow right through the mall. Another Creek is spanned more than once a cutesy little bridges that the patrons across and gaze into the running water and guess what there's fish in the Creek! Now remember people shopping across any bridges they have changed jiggling in their pockets and so more than one is tossed the extra pennies dimes and nickels into the Creek. It just so happens that Dutch is a conservationist at heart and he cares about fish. So he was horrified to see the gleaming coins reflecting sunlight off the bottom of the Creek poisoning the fish. So like any conservationist he started fishing out the coins – – to save the fish. Sometimes point of view (P O V) can be everything. Now City Creek mall employs a host of rent a cops which where Smokey the bear type caps which really makes the cops look quite ridiculous. So it's not surprising when the Smokies happened upon Dutch with his hands literally in the the Creek the Smokies took a dim view of him fishing out the coins. Now Dutch really didn't want to coins for himself in fact he is only pulled out about $.24 and laid the change on the side the bank of the creek. This went unnoticed by the Smokies who in short time hold them up to the office. Now there was some exchange of conversation where when challenged Dutch informed the Smokies they could only do a citizens arrest, hold him over, until the real cops got there and of course that's exactly what happened. It was when they brought him into custody they realized Dutch was the same culprit who washed his beasts pause in the men's restroom sink. Which soon became an issue is great as removing coins from the public Creek.

One can imagine I was about 45 min. of the call at this point in time and kept getting imagery of Alice's Restaurant, but Mr. Woody Guthrie and I was struggling to maintain my professional dignity. The long and the short is that Salt Lake City check the observation cameras and saw that Dutch was not keeping the coins in fact he was absolutely right about poison the fish not that they cared – – the Mounties not the fish – – but Dutch soon became a defendant and when brought before the judge begin to try to educate the judge regarding the Americans with disabilities act and what it does and how it doesn't which was way too much for the judge to hear him tell the case over for hearing which of course moved out of the arena of public defense meaning Dutch need to find Council somewhere somehow, which is one the reasons he was contacting my office. This is all $147. 00 which of course Dutch did not have an he also did not have money for the Council.

I left the call not knowing what Dutch is going to do--I suppose he will survive the legal system you may be in debt, is.maybe in debt but Dutch will survive the legal system. Another case in point at how quickly things get out of hand and a little information is a dangerous thing.